29/12/11

Mr. Putin, after his shining career as a high ranking KGB official is now, for good, ruler of Russia.His country is still as impoverished, as it used to be under the rule of the communist thugs, most of whom have comfortably adapted to the new post communist era. Russia is also as impoverished as it used to be under the Tzar tyranny. And so on.

Why such a country of unbelievable natural resources and spiritual gifts (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, etc.) needs be impoverished ?

In my view Russia represents the second big failure of the Orthodox version of Christianity. The first one was the Byzantine empire, whose numerous monks did everything possible towards its eventual destruction. Then they glorified God who sent the Turks for them to save their soul. When the Balkan countries revolted and kicked out the Turks, they again glorified Gods providence. And so on. God has been behind everything, so it doesn't really make any sense to try for this or that. Just sit and wait and pray. This is the essence of Eastern Orthodoxy. No surprise that eastern Orthodoxy has been the most adamant opponent of the ancient Greek civilisation and its investigative and free spirit. Its monks openly despised all the major Greek philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, etc.) and destroyed any manuscript, piece of art, etc. of that period that they put their hands on. All the barbarians together did far less damage to this unique human heritage than the Orthodox monks.Because of them, and their empty heads, we have now just a very limited view on that unique period.

Similarly, Russians never experienced any liberating message, for example like that of Luther, in the West. They developed this unique sense of eternal patience, passive watchers of God' s will unfolding through the centuries.

Now Mr. Putin and his Patriarch in Russia express their open solidarity to a corrupt Greek business-monk Mr. Efrem, a typical thug, hidden for efficiency behind his black clothing. Mr. Efrem, conducted a lot of hot business transactions recently that led to significant financial losses and damage of the Greek state. He was provisionally put behind bars, just as any other citizen would have been dealt with.

Mr. Putin and his Patriarch issue advice to the Greek state, on the name of the human rights (!!), who they think are violated in the case of this bastard. A few months ago they even took him through Russia for their people to worship a (one-out-of-a-lot) "Holy belt", essentially a business asset of Mr. Efrem's gang!

Mr. Putin has enough in his country about human rights to worry about, so he can better spare us his advice. Alternatively he can consider the imprisonment of his mentor as one more manifestation of God's grace and wisdom.

In the meanwhile the rest of us can only feel deep sorrow for the ordeals of this wonderful people and its unique, Russian, heart.